Cable Operator Study Confirms Video Quality Monitoring is Key; Lack Right Tools to...

Cable Operator Study Confirms Video Quality Monitoring is Key; Lack Right Tools to Measure Customers' Experience

Operators Identify Video Quality Problems as Main Reasons for
Customer Support Calls
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Symmetricom, Inc. (NASDAQ:SYMM) released its 2007 Cable Operator
Video Quality Study today, an independent survey conducted by
Multimedia Research Group, Inc. (MRG, Inc.), assessing cable
operators' requirements for video quality test, measurement and
monitoring solutions. A similar independent study released in
February, the 2007 IPTV Video Quality Study, assessed
telecommunications service providers' requirements for IPTV test,
measurement and monitoring solutions with somewhat parallel results.

The Cable Operator Video Quality Study confirms that video quality
monitoring continues to be central to cable operators who were
pioneers in video, yet they don't feel they currently have the right
tools implemented to accurately measure video quality from the
customers' perspective. In addition, cable operators indicated that
service quality problems are one of the main reasons for customer
support calls, resulting in a significant reason for customer churn.
With millions of customers across the country, end-user video quality
monitoring is an integral part of a cable operator's business.

Key results of the cable operator study show:

-- 90.4% reported end-user video quality monitoring as either
"critical," "very important," or "important" to their video
initiatives.

-- 61.9% said they learn of video quality problems via customer
phone calls; only 31% said they use network monitoring tools
to discover quality problems.

-- 80% said that service quality problems are the reasons for
high support calls.

-- 40% said Video-on-Demand (VOD) is the service causing the most
quality problems today, while 51.6% said HDTV is expected to
produce the most quality problems one year from now.

-- 58.1% said that end-user quality of experience (QoE) is
"critical" and needs to be monitored.

-- Top issues with current monitoring solutions deployed today
are: they are not an accurate measure of end-user experience,
and they are too costly.

-- 68% said that cost is the biggest reason for customer churn,
while service quality problems were next with 40%.

President and Principal Analyst of MRG Gary Schultz commented on
the study's findings, "This independent study points out cable
operators are aware that video quality issues are important and are
affecting their business, driving up operating costs. The study also
indicates that cable operators feel they don't have a monitoring
solution today that provides an accurate measure of the customers'
experience."

"Although cable operators are pioneers in the video business, VOD
and HD services are causing new video quality problems which need to
be addressed, preferably before the customer even knows they exist,"
added David Cox, Symmetricom's EVP GM of the Quality of Experience
(QoE) Assurance Division. "With competitive pressures increasing,
cable operators need a comprehensive video monitoring solution to
ensure they meet customer expectations, or face possible increases in
churn and operational costs."

Survey Methodology

In December 2007, Symmetricom commissioned MRG to do an
independent survey of executives (VP, Director, Manager-level) from
operations groups in top tier U.S. MSOs. The survey received responses
from a total of 9 MSOs, all within the top 20 MSOs in the U.S. The
study was conducted using a written survey questionnaire, and many
were interviewed additionally by phone.

The survey focused on gaining insight into the criticality of
quality issues for cable operators as well as the use of video quality
monitoring, and where the video quality issues are coming from. In
addition, the survey also addressed analysis of video content, video
delivery and test infrastructure, customer satisfaction and budgeting
for video test, measurement and monitoring solutions.

To view a full summary of the report, click on
http://qoe.symmetricom.com/lp/cable_operators_study/

About Symmetricom's QoE Assurance Division

Symmetricom's QoE Assurance Division provides perceptual video
quality monitoring and diagnostic solutions for cable operators,
telcos and other CSPs to deliver mission-critical QoE solutions for
IP-based switched digital video services. For more information, visit
http://qoe.symmetricom.com.

About Symmetricom, Inc.

As a worldwide leader in precise time and frequency products and
services, Symmetricom provides "Perfect Timing" to customers around
the world. Since 1985, the company's solutions have helped define the
world's time and frequency standards, delivering precision,
reliability and efficiency to wireline and wireless networks,
instrumentation and testing applications and network time management.
Deployed in more than 90 countries, the company's synchronization
solutions include primary reference sources, building integrated
timing supplies (BITS), GPS timing receivers, time and frequency
distribution systems, network time servers and ruggedized oscillators.
Symmetricom also incorporates technologies including Universal Timing
Interface (UTI), Network Time Protocol (NTP), Precision Time Protocol
(IEEE 1588), and others supporting the world's migration to Next
Generation Networks (NGN). Symmetricom is based in San Jose, Calif.,
with offices worldwide. For more information, visit
www.symmetricom.com.

Symmetricom
Joyce Kim, 408-964-7699
jkim@symmetricom.com
or
HighTech PR, Inc.
Tammy Snook, 407-667-9355
tammysnook@hightechpr.net

Copyright Business Wire 2008